Publisher's Desk

Subramuniyaswami, Sivaya

HINDUISM TODAY "On the Air," our monthly radio edition of the Hindu Family Newspaper, has been a rewarding part of our month here at the editorial offices in Hawaii. It's always rewarding when plans turn into manifestation, and this one is now a reality after ten years of "getting ready." Yes, we now have a 15-minute newscast by California's award-winning broadcaster Ravi Peruman highlighting the major articles each month. Stations in several US states already carry a Hindu program regularly. Those who have heard of this unique audio edition of the paper have asked to receive it each month. They have said it is a unique way to share the global information and events found in Hinduism Today with all our brothers and sisters in the community. One temple organization in Florida, the Shanti Mandir, is dedicating the first sixty minutes of its 3-hour Sunday morning program to this, calling it "The Hinduism Today Hour."

The story of this project takes us back 10 years to when Ravi, a lifelong devotee of mine, was a resident guest in our ashram here on the Garden Island of Kauai. It was then that Ravi and I began discussing the possibility of using radio media to reach more Hindus with the message of the Eternal Dharma, and with interesting news, something more than the usual repetitive information that everyone gets in their youth and already knows. At that time I told Ravi that, "It may take 5 or 10 years for you to get this done. That's OK, since we are in the process of slow and stable growth." "To me," says Ravi, "this experience illustrates how Lord Ganesha's timing works. In recent years, I have concentrated on newscasting, and now Gurudeva's prediction comes true, exactly 10 years later to the month." Since that day, Ravi has blossomed into a fine newscaster California. We are all very proud of him. For instance, on March 30th the Penninsula Press Club awarded him Best Radio Series for 1989 and an honorable mention for on-scene reporting. Ravi won a college scholarship while in the 10th grade, started his career as a disc jockey and began news broadcasting in 1987. In 1990 he received top honors among 270 newscasters for his work at KSFO/KYA-fm radio in San Francisco.

A good journalist on the radio must have more than a professional voice. He must be a writer, too, and have a keen sense of what is most essential in a story. Ravi has all this, plus a love of Hindu dharma and a strong desire to share it with others - he does all the "On the Air" work for free, and it's very time-consuming. You have enjoyed several of Ravi's articles in Hinduism Today in 1989-90. His skills at interviewing people and composing well-written articles are being called upon monthly now by the editors. Ravi lives with wife Anjali and their three small children in Concord, California. We're told that in the country of Guyana alone more than 50,000 people will hear Ravi's digest of the dharma each month. Keep up the good work, Ravi!

If any of our readers in other communities want to participate with us in getting "Hinduism Today On the Air" on the air in your community, please write to me. Let's work together on this.

Another superb journalist is helping Hinduism Today. He is Rakes Mathur and he lives in London. You've seen Rakesh's articles for many months now, written from Italy, Wales or Germany. He really gets around Europe and knows the nooks and crannies where Hindu dharma is thriving. Rakesh is a freelance journalist with background in business, film and the communication arts.

He's also a photographer whose images have appeared all over India, and he has done radio and TV work, too. Quite a talent, I would say, for someone who is going to be 39 in July. Oh, yes, he speaks six and a half languages. We're Rakesh Mathur and Ravi Peruman on the global Hinduism Today team.